Pivot is a great way for kids to understand how animation works. They create frame-by-frame images and turn them into a movie. Here is a link to some Pivot is not a web application and must be downloaded. Click below to access additional information on Pivot:

We looked at some more features of the file system including: how to navigate the file system, get different views of the folders and files and how to sort files by file name, date, etc. Then we practiced by doing a Spanish Word Hunt. I added folders and files to their personal folders. As they open the appropriate file such as El Gato.doc, they are given their next word to search for. The file El Gato.doc says "El Gato is a Cat. Now go to the file Ears in the Body Part directory." Below you will find the Spanish Word Hunt Worksheet.

We started the class off by discussing how computers store information using storage devices such as a hard drive, memory stick, and/or memory card. Then I showed them the hard drive inside a computer.

The students told me how they store their homework papers. We talked about how confusing it would be if you put your math homework in your writing folder and your science homework in your social studies folder. The same thing is true for the computer. You need to store the files in an organized manner to make it easy to find it again. I had a "small paper filing cabinet" and explained that the computer uses a similar system. There are folders and inside the folders you could have more folders. In my example, I had folders for each grade and then inside the third grade folder there was a folder for each student. I showed them that computer folders could hold the same kind of things as a paper folder. We looked a documents, listened to an MP3 song, watched a quick video, etc.

I used the "filing cabinet" and "folders" to demonstrate the difference between using "save"and "save as". The students learned that once you save a file and then start editing it again, you are working on a "copy" of the original. If you decide to "save" the file, then you are overwriting the original (in other words you are discarding the original and keeping the new version). But if you use "save as" and give the file a new name, then you are keeping the original file and keeping the current version.

Then we looked at the "file system". Many students save use "My Documents" or "Documents" at home. That saves the file to the hard drive of your local computer. At school we use "My Computer" and find the network drive. The students save their files to the "Network Server", that way they can access their file from any computer in the school. I showed them the network cable that connects each computer to the school "Local Area Network (or LAN)" and how the computer runs up the wall into the ceiling. Then we went on a field trip around the school to see where the wires went. First we saw the room behind the library where the wires connect into a network hub. Then we went down to the copier/mail room to see the Network Server. The students were surprised that the files they saved were all the way down there. One student said "saving a file" is so much faster than walking down the hall to the server. The network must be really fast."

We finished the class by starting Pixie and creating a drawing for Haley (she was sick). They "saved" the file in their own personal folder and then saved a copy into Haley's folder (to practice "saved as"). Now she'll have a lot of well wishes from her classmates when she gets back!

The students will start the class by reviewing the keyboard. We'll talk about how the keyboard is an "input device" used to type letters, numbers, punctuation, and symbols. We will briefly discuss how people touch-type.

They will start by doing an activity called Keyseeker which is an interactive learning tool to help kids recognize letters on a keyboard and use the correct hand to strike the key. The keyboard is split into purple for left and green for right hand. I'll have bands on their wrists to help them remember.

Then the students will make Name Plates using a fun little application called Spell With Flickr: